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Indianapolis Public School Board of Commissioners are proposing a $300,000 salary and benefits package for their pick for permanent superintendent Aleesia Johnson.
A basic outline of Johnson’s proposed contract was made public in advance of a public hearing on it Tuesday, July 16 at 3 p.m. in the district’s main office. Indiana law requires a public discussion for proposed superintendent contracts.
Johnson, who has been the interim leader for the past seven months, still needs IPS Board approval of a contract to become superintendent. That vote is expected later this month. The board picked Johnson, previously the IPS assistant superintendent, after interviewing her and two other finalists in June.
The contract is for three years, through June 2022, but will be extended by one more year if a majority of the seven-member school board evaluates Johnson as “effective” or “highly effective” in her previous years’ performance, according to the term sheet.
Johnson is currently under a $222,380 per year contract as interim superintendent for the state's larges school district. Last year, IPS enrolled a total of 31,478 students.
If the superintendent contract is approved, Johnson will get an increase of about 7% in base pay plus additional perks.
The so-called term sheet sketches out a basic employment agreement that totals $301,921 so far: annual base salary ($238,000); medical insurance and retirement benefits ($45,920.76); annual vehicle allowance ($12,000); professional and business expenses ($6,000); and tuition reimbursement for college courses (Johnson could choose to seek a doctorate degree).
Johnson’s pay increases will be tied to the same pay adjustments for teachers as laid out in collective bargaining agreements, the term sheet says.
The contract allows Johnson to be paid as a “consultant” to “other school systems, educational
agencies, or engage in writing or speaking engagements at her discretion.”
But unlike the previous superintendent, Lewis Ferebee, Johnson will not be afforded an annual performance-based bonus. Ferebee left to become chief of Washington, D.C. Schools.
Ferebee was eligible for a performance-based bonus up to $35,000. When he began the job, the maximum bonus was $25,000.
Ferebee began his tenure with a base pay of $198,000 in 2013. Days before Ferebee left last December, his base pay was increased to $225,310. The amount combined with district retirement contributions and a monthly $1,000 automobile allowance, brought Ferebee's annual compensation to nearly $300,000.
Pat Mapes, the superintedent of Perry Township Schools, received a new contract last month with a base pay of $205,500. Perry enrolls around 16,600 students. Mapes became superintedent in July 2017.
Contact WFYI education reporter Eric Weddle at eweddle@wfyi.org or call (317) 614-0470. Follow on Twitter: @ericweddle.
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